Gorgeous USB powered notebook speakers now support AC

Product: XT2 USB powered speakers
Company: Altec Lansing
Price: ~ $115, £64
Web Site: www.alteclansing.com

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THE NICE Altec Lansing XT1 USB powered speakers had some minor annoyances. The firm built upon the XT1 set design adding a microphone, subwoofer output, and metal stands, and the XT2 were born.

Beautiful carrying case, just like its predecessor

The first difference that you can't ignore when you see the XT2 speakers are the metal stands that you can flip around for storage. The new stands help keep the speakers upright and stable, which is a great change, as one of my main gripes with the XT1 were the small plastic stands.

The second change is the size: these USB powered speakers are a little bit wider, by about half an inch. But the biggest change is internal: Altec Lansing designed these speakers to be powered not only by the computer's USB port, but optionally by its own multi-voltage AC wall adapter. When operating using the AC power adapter, the XT2 manual claims the unit can deliver up to 4 watts RMS of total continuous power.

When powered by the USB port, the XT2 speakers can deliver 1.6 Watts RMS. For comparison's sake, the XT1 deliver 1.5 Watts using the same power source. Both the XT1 and the XT2 models feature two 28mm micro drivers per speaker, for the record. Another addition is a "subwoofer output" socket which might be of interest for those audiophiles who already own a subwoofer speaker who also use the XT2 speakers on a desktop-replacement notebook. I certainly cannot imagine someone carrying a notebook, the easily transportable Altec Lansing speakers, and a bulky subwoofer to boot.

New features in the XT2: Subwoofer out, optional AC power-in,
auto-rolling cable, AC adapter with interchangeable plugs,
embedded microphone in right side speaker

The company also decided to change the cable that connects the left side speaker to the right side one: in the XT2, the cable is a thin and flat retractable ribbon cable, that can be rolled in automatically inside the left side speaker at the press of a button. While nice, I don't think there was anything wrong with the thick durable cables used in the XT1.

The AC power supply is a beauty in itself, a role model for other manufacturers to follow. Not only it's 100-240V multi-voltage, you can change the male plugs with a simple press with one finger, snapping out and replacing them at will. Included with the XT2 are male AC power plugs for about every power socket in the world: the 110v American one, the Euro two-prongs one -both thick and thin versions-, the three pronged UK one, and even the 45-degree shaped one used both in Australia and Argentina!. I almost fell off my chair by the beauty of this design.

XT2 vs XT1 compared, contrasted. The XT2 metal stands make these speakers fall-proof

Every other hardware manufacturer should follow this example. I bet Altec Lansing saves a lot of money as well, by not having to create different SKUs based on geographical locations, and by taking advantage of economies of scale and having to deal with a single power supply, World-wide.

The basic design and operation of the speakers, however, remains the same: When you plug the XT2 set to a WinXP computer the system detects and configures it just fine without asking for drivers. Sound starts immediately coming out of the new plugged speakers, and when you press the small rubber buttons for volume up/down on the side of the right-side speaker, the windows volume control applet moves the virtual slider up and down "in sync" with the button presses.

The XT2 speakers are linux-friendly as well just like its twin brothers the XT1s -despite the lack of mention about this OS in the documentation, it should be noted. I plugged the XT2 speaker set into my notebook, booted BLAG Linux -based on Fedora Core 3- and the OS identified and configured it at boot time with no need to install any additional drivers, as it used the ALSA linux sound drivers bundled with almost every linux distro.

Test begins

There isn't much to write about in a test of small speakers. I played dozens of MP3s both in Linux and Windows and was very pleased with the sound volume and quality. You'll find that the maximum volume can be actually loud enough to dance around if you fancy so. Just like with the XT1, the XT2 set is perfect for the home office or bedside listening while on the road.

So, to summarise, these speakers sound great, take power from the USB port, and can also be made to work stand-alone with the included AC power adapter when there is no computer around. The metal stands make the units very stable, unlike the tiny plastic "legs" that are present on the previous model, the XT1. The USB cable connecting the right side speaker to the PC's USB port is thick and features a threaded external insulation.

Still lacking -and I will say this again in the hope of perhaps seeing this in a future XT3 model, is having power-on LEDs both on the left and right side speakers, not just one. The change in connecting cord between the two speakers was, I feel, unwarranted. The cable connecting the two speakers in the XT1 model is almost indestructible. The new cable in the XT2 is a very thin flat cable, that puts it at risk, specially if you have any heavy objects with sharp metal edges, or a knife.

The addition of a microphone to the XT2 set - if you look closely there is a small lump at the top of the front side of the right-side speaker - is something that, while nice, leaves me scratching my bald head. Unless you use to record voice notes aloud in front of your notebook, I don't see much use for it. For voice over IP applications, you should definitely get a headset or usb-to-phone adapter. The unit however is configured both as a wave-out and a wave-input device, and the Mic works fine, the jury is still out about its usefulness. Definitely it isn't a selling point in my opinion, the metal stands and the AC adapter are ones, definitely.

Just for kicks, I repeated my XT1 "trick" of trying to power it from the notebook port even when used with its analogue input connected to a MP3 player. I placed a tiny piece of vinyl insulating tape -the kind used for 110v-240v electric installation work- covering pins 2 and 3 of the male USB plug, then re-inserted it into the USB socket on the notebook. It worked just fine with the XT2 speakers, just like in my XT1 experience. The result is that the speakers draw power from the USB bus, but the "data" side is not identified, so the notebook continues working without reconfiguring its sound output.

Stand-alone operation with Kodak MP33 player
Using the analogue AUX input

With my little hack, you can use the XT2 always in "analogue" mode, and just use the included male/male cable to switch between a portable MP3 player or the computer, without the computer ever realising that there was a USB device plugged in, you'll just use the notebook -or desktop's- internal sound card and the analogue output, connected to the XT2 set.

I repeat my call to the engineers at Altec: it would be great if the speakers had a switch next to the right speaker, next to the power button for instance, allowing the user to switch between "digital" and "analogue only" modes.

The Verdict

These speakers sound good, Altec Lansing fixed my main gripe with the XT1, the speaker stands, and they added a great AC power supply with interchangeable plugs allowing the same PS to be used world-wide. Sadly, they replaced the connecting cable between the two speakers and downgraded it to a very thin ribbon cable that should be kept away from children or sharp objects.

The XT2 speakers look even more gorgeous than the XT1 ones. On the sound quality side, they give plenty of power to fill a bedroom or other medium sized room with loud music, and even with the volume near the maximum.

I give the Altec Lansing XT2 set a score of four and a half Fernandos in my personal one-to-five rating scale - or nine over ten if you prefer. It's a good evolution from the XT1, with one step backwards. What prevents the XT2 from getting five over five is the price: the XT2 set is more expensive than the XT1, and the thin ribbon cable connecting the two sides gives me fits. ?

See Also
My Altec Lansing XT1 review
Logitech portable speakers need a bit of work
Desir? Athow mentions the XT1 when introduced
Creative's wireless speakers will have power cords